Vishesh Agrawal (COL 2011, Biochemistry and Biology)
My research analyzes the role of posttranslational protein modifications in genomic stability, particularly the effects of the protein modification sumoylation in telomere maintenance, DNA repair, and recombination. I have also conducted research in x-ray crystallography and mitosis.
- University Scholar
Arthur (AJ) Argall (COL 2011, Biochemistry)
I perform a wide range of experiments in an ophthalmology lab. I’ve gained experience in molecular biology working with DNA, RNA, and plasmids, and this summer will be learning some physiological techniques such as patch clamping. I’d be most helpful to undergraduates interested in molecular biology or biochemistry.
Pablo Barrera (COL 2011, Art History)
My research explores cultural heritage issues surrounding the re-appropriation of Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) vernacular “hanok” architecture in South Korea. My research interests lie in Art History, Anthropology, cultural heritage, and museum policy and law.
- Harnwell House Research Fellow
- Vagelos Undergraduate Research Grant
- Pincus-Magaziner College Research Grant
- Seoul Residency Project
- University Scholar
Josh Bennett (COL 2010, English and Africana Studies)
My research explores the presence of the disabled character as metaphor within post-Emancipation era African American literature, art and music through postmodern literary theory.
- Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship
- John Edgar Wideman Prize
- Nancy Rafetto Leach P. Sweeten Prize
- Northwestern University Summer Research fellowship
- Research Fellow of the Penn Undergraduate Humanities Forum
- University Scholar
Tegan Bunsu (COL 2010, Linguistics and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations)
My research interest is in ancient Near Eastern linguistics—I am currently working on the agreement of pronominal infixes in the Sumerian verb chain in letters and an Early Dynastic (ca. 2300 BCE) temple economic account from Lagash/Girsu at the University of Wyoming. I can help anyone interested in doing research in the Social Sciences and Humanities, especially language and museum work.
- University Scholar
Matthew Canver (SEAS 2010, Bioengineering)
My current research involves developing gene therapy for Polycystic Kidney Disease. I am also completing my engineering senior design project in a tissue engineering/biomaterials laboratory. I can be most helpful to undergraduates seeking research in bioengineering, gene therapy, and medicine.
- Penn Genome Frontiers Institute Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Summer Internship Program
- Blair Fellowship in Bioengineering/Biomedical Science Research
- Editor-in-Chief, PennScience Journal of Undergraduate Research
Ivy Cheung (COL 2010, Biological Basis of Behavior)
I have conducted research in labs in Cellular and Molecular Neuropathology and Sleep and Chronobiology I completed an honors thesis in BIBB, “Investigation of the Relationship between Sleep Loss and Weight Gain.” I would be happy to discuss finding research opportunities at Penn and the benefits of doing independent research.
Jordan Coello (COL 2010, Psychology)
My research is in clinical psychology. I am currently researching catastrophic cognitions in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. My experiences in research include finding research opportunities, preparing IRB proposals, designing questionnaires, working with SPSS, and presenting at a poster fair and symposium.
Daniel Fein (COL 2010, Individualized Major)
I am working on several projects in the Penn Laboratory for Experimental Evolutionary Psychology (PLEEP), all of which focus on the evolution of moral systems. I am particularly interested in the evolution and function of the ideal of “impartiality” in moral decision making.
- Coordinating Research Fellow of the Penn Undergraduate Humanities Forum
Lani Feingold-Link (COL 2010, Biochemistry)
I work in the Pharmacology Department of the Med School on the interaction between proteins and lipids, particularly with respect to the Amyloid-Beta protein, which is important in the pathology of Alzheimer’s Disease. My project investigates the equilibrium between the fibril and monomer states of this protein and the effects of copper and zinc on that equilibrium
- University Scholar
Spencer Glantz (SEAS 2011, Biochemical Engineering)
I research “Differentiation Therapy,” a promising treatment for Acute Myelogenous Leukemia involving the testing and classification of Bexarotene. I could be helpful in coaching students on the best practices for finding and securing a position in a research lab as an undergraduate.
- Class of 1971 Holtz Research Fund
- Benjamin Franklin Scholars Program Research Funding
Daniela Hernandez (COL 2010, International Relations)
My research explores current trends and challenges facing think tanks, particularly health care related institutions in Africa. I conducted research on these institutions through two summer internships at a government research institute in Milan, Italy, and a European Union economic policy think tank in Brussels, Belgium.
Jana Hirsch (COL 2010, Environmental Studies and Health and Societies)
I study health and environmental impacts of interactions between humans with their social, cultural, built and natural environments. Research includes heavy metal contamination in urban community gardens, an evaluation of the Penn food environment, and food access along the Baltimore Avenue corridor.
- Center for Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET) summer program
- Vagelos Undergraduate Research Grant
- Penn Institute for Urban Research Undergraduate Research Grant (PIUR)
- poster presentation at 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA)
Tiffany John-Lewis (COL 2011, History)
I have worked with Professor Robert Vitalis in Political Science compiling an annotated bibliography on female African-American diplomat Merze Tate, an expert of the annexation of Hawaii and the Arms Race during the 19th and 20th centuries. I used JSTOR and library archives/collections to find works written by Tate and works that commented on her contributions.
- Provost’s Undergraduate Research Mentorship program (PURM)
Sol Jung (COL 2011, Art History)
My research explores “hanok” (domestic wooden structures from the Joseon Dynasty [1392-1910]) as an intersection of South Korea’s architecture, art history, folklore, philosophy, traditional craftsmanship, and aesthetics. My research interests lie in applied history, cross-cultural studies and interdisciplinary methodologies.
- Harnwell House Research Fellow
- Vagelos Undergraduate Research Grant
- Pincus-Magaziner College Research Grant
- University Scholar
George Karandinos (COL 2010, Health and Societies)
I conduct ethnographic research in North Philadelphia on the experience of violence in the context of urban poverty, community-police relations, and the illegal drug economy. I can be most useful to students interested in conducting ethnographic fieldwork and exploring issues of urban marginalization.
- Seltzer Family Digital Media Award
- Penn Institute for Urban Research Undergraduate Research Grant (PIUR)
Zen Liu (SEAS 2010, Bioengineering)
I’ve worked in a cell and molecular biology lab and in tissue engineering and biomaterials designing novel polymeric hydrogels for controlling stem cell differentiation for use in targeted drug delivery systems. I can be most helpful to students interested in research in bioengineering or biomedical science.
- Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine
- Penn Genome Frontiers Institute (PGFI) Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Summer Internship
Adam Mandelsberg (COL 2010, History and Political Science)
I’ve visited presidential libraries and interviewed major political figures (including former Vice President Mondale) for a project examining Jimmy Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign. I can assist undergraduates in political science research projects as well as other humanities and social science research.
- College Alumni Society Board of Managers
- Presidents Undergraduate Research Grant
Eileen McKeown (COL 2010, Science, Technology, and Society)
My research focuses on the role of information systems in fundraising and advertising for community service organizations. Through this research, I have been able to combine my two main interests — technology and community service — into one project. My research knowledge would be helpful to students aspiring to conduct research in the humanities.
Sheyla Medina (COL 2010, Health and Societies)
My research experiences include survey, interview and observational data collection for topics in nutrition, race and health care, physical activity and cooperative play evaluation on recess programs at local elementary schools, and access to health care. As a Ronald E. McNair Scholar, I am examining the relationship between parents’ educational level and perceived discrimination of African-American adolescents.
- McNair Scholar
- Penn Institute for Urban Research Undergraduate Research Grant (PIUR)
- Seltzer Family Digital Media Award
GJ Melendez-Torres (NUR/WH 2011, Health Care Policy and Statistics)
I study historical health policy of emergency rooms, aiming to understand the problems that affect ERs and American healthcare. I also study ERs quantitatively through health insurance and utilization patterns. I hope to work with people interested in quantitative social science research or health policy, as well as students in Wharton or Nursing.
- Provost’s Undergraduate Research Mentorship program (PURM)
- Leonard Davis Institute’s Summer Undergraduate Minority Research Program (SUMR)
Clara Ng (COL/WH 2010, Health and Societies and Operations and Information Management)
I have researched children’s health insurance in the US, the impact of the Space Race on education, telemedicine initiatives in Bhutan, trust mechanisms in microcredit relationships, and the role of social enterprise in addressing urban diabetes and rural poverty in West Africa. Feel free to contact me with questions about finding a research advisor (particularly in public health and business), applying for grants, and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval process.
- College Alumni Society Research Fund
- Rodin College House Research Fellow
Elena Nikolova (COL 2010, International Relations)
I have conducted research in the US and Europe in English, French, and Bulgarian on illuminated manuscripts, international copyright issues, borders and migration patterns, and French nuclear policy towards Libya and the Middle East, and I interned in the Navy Operational Archives. I would be most helpful in these areas and helping undergraduates doing research abroad.
Mario Peia (COL 2010, Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, and Psychology)
My research interests are in business, law, ethics and social psychology, particularly technology’s impact on society and social relationships. Projects have involved examining new communities, challenging assumptions about responsible use of technology and proposing a new model for intellectual property in a technologically-driven world.
- Research Fellow of the Penn Undergraduate Humanities Forum
- Research Fellow of the Penn Program on Democracy, Citizenship, and Constitutionalism
Pallavi Yerramilli (SEAS 2011, Electrical Engineering)
My research is through the department of Electrical Engineering and focuses on the behavior of diffusion through networks. We simulate various network models and study the effects of influentials in the maximization of the spread of a hypothetical product or internet application.
Ali Zahalka (COL 2011, Biology)
I am studying the neuropathological and developmental consequences of early-in-life HIV-1 infection of the central nervous system. Specifically, I am looking at how HIV infection affects the quantity and distribution of neuroprogenitors in infected pediatric brain tissue.
- Provost’s Undergraduate Research Mentorship program (PURM)
- University Scholar
Molin Zhong (WH 2010, Statistics)
My research interests mainly revolve around business in China, specifically looking at entrepreneurship. I would love to answer any and all questions about research; however, I believe that I am best suited in answering questions about economics or business and statistical questions.